Invalid cushion



g- 1962 H. DEUTINGER 3,050,748

INVALID CUSHION Filed Nov. 3, 1960 INVENTOR. HENRY DEUT/NGER A TTORNE YUnited States Patent Gfifice .ifi flfii Patented Aug. 28, 1962 3,050,748INVALID CUSHION Henry Deutinger, Oak Summit Road, RED. 2, Millbrook,N.Y. Filed Nov. 3, 1960, Ser. No. 67,119 6 Claims. (Cl. 338) The presentinvention relates to an invalid cushion.

Although not limited thereto, the present invention will be described inconnection to an invalid cushion to be designed to be positioned at thebase or in a bathtub where a person may be subjected to therapeuticflowing water treatment.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a simplereadily applied lightweight inexpensive durable invalid cushion tosupport the weight of the body particularly in sitting position, andwhich may be readily adjusted or positioned at any location to achievethe desired therapeutic effect.

Another object is to provide a simple readily handled and inexpensiveinvalid cushion which may be readily mounted in any type of receptaclein which flowing water therapeutic treatment is to take place.

Still further objects and advantages will appear in the V more detaileddescription set forth below, it being understood, however, that thismore detailed description is given by way of illustration andexplanation only and not by way of limitation, since various changestherein may be made by those skilled in the art without departing fromthe scope and spirit of the present invention.

In accomplishing the above objects, it has been found most satisfactoryaccording to one embodiment of the present invention to provide twosemi-circular enlarged inflated tubular portions connected at the rearby an equalizing relatively small tubular connection and at the forwardportion by a short flat strap.

Desirably the edges of the semi-circular tubular portions on their outerperiphery are provided with outstanding flat lips which may haveextensions forwardly and real-wardly and laterally to carry rubbersuction cups to permit convenient mounting on a bottom of a bathtub orother receptacle.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists ofthe novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts ashereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings,

} wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but it is to beunderstood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted towhich fall within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote correspondingparts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a bottom plan view of a rubber invalid cushion according tothe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view upon the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view upon the line 33 of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, there is shown an invalid cushion A havingsemi-circular tubular portions B at the sides thereof with a smalldiameter stabilizing tubular element C and a forward strap D locatedfurther from the center point B than the tubular connection C, anddesirably at a slightly lower position as indicated best in FIG. 3. a

The outer side edges F of the semi-circular tubular portions B areprovided with the outstanding strips G which extend around the entireouter periphery but terminate at the forward central slot H and the rearcentral slot I.

The peripheral strips G are provided with the forward square projectionsK carrying the suction cups L with the rear square projections Mcarrying the suction cups N and with the side square projections Pcarrying the suction cups Q. I

here is provided aconnection stern R through which the semi-circularsections B may be inflated by a pump, by blowing with the mouth or by acompressed CO cartridge.

In designing the cushion, desirably the material is of rubber or elasticsheeting of substantial weight and thickness to support a human bodyweighing between to 250 pounds.

The tubular portions B have a small diameter of about 5 to 8 inches anda wall thickness of about /2 to inch.

The outstanding peripheral portions are generally formed integrally withthe outer tapered edge F of the semicircular portions B, and theydesirably have a thick ness of 1% to 1% inches of the tubular members-B.

The suction cups are desirably positioned beyond the periphery F of thesemi-circular portions B, and their bottom surface 20 should desirablybe flush with or parallel with the bottom face 21 of the semi-circularportions B.

Desirably, the plane of the peripheral edges G should be below thecenter point indicated at 22 of the tubular members B, and the preferredlevel is about one-half or midway between the center point 22 and thebottom face 21.

The tubular equalizing connections C should be tangent at 23 to theinside face 24 of the tubular members B, and it desirably should have adiameter of about one-quarter to one-half the diameter of the circularsections B, which should be positioned well inside the outer face oredge 25 of the tubular sections as indicated at FIG. 3.

The connecting strip D, which connect the two forwardly extending tabsK, should be aligned with the bottom of the small tube C as shown inFIG.3.

By this construction, a balanced cushion is achieved.

This inflated cushion of FIGS. 1 to 3 is particularly suitable forinvalids, and also air or carbon dioxide is the preferred fillingmaterial or other cushioning medium may be provided.

The shape is particularly suitable for supporting the weight of the bodyand prevents pressure on the anal region when used in a sitz bath.

The front and back channels H and K areboth efiected to permitapplication of the fluid and shifting of the weight of the body willenhance the turbulence of the water and gives the increased circulation.

The sheet material may be made of rubber or similar plastic of eithernatural or synthetic origin.

The suction cups will hold the cushion in position and will enable readypositioning thereof.

As many changes could be made in the above invalid cushion, and manywidely different embodiments of this invention could be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description shall be interpreted as illustrativeand not in a limiting sense.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of theinvention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, what isclaimed is:

1. An invalid cushion comprising separate semi-circular arcuate tubularportions with a small diameter rear tubular connection and a forwardconnecting strip and outwardly extending wide stabilizing peripheralflat strips, and suction cups mounted on the bottom of said fiat stripsto hold said portions in position said flat strips being positionedmidway between the top face and the bottom face of the tubular portionsand terminating at the ends of the arcuate portions and having forward,rearward and lateral square extensions at the ends of the arcuateportions and midway of the arcuate portions.

1 2. An invalid cushion comprising separate semi-circular arcuatetubular portions with a small diameter rear tubular connection and aforward connecting strip and and lateral side extensions carrying saidsuction cups.

3. An invalid cushion comprising separate semi-circular arcuate tubularportions with a small diameter rear tubular connection and a forwardconnecting strip and outwardly extending wide stabilizing peripheralfiat strips, and suction cups mounted on bottom of said fiat strips tohold said portions in position said flat strips'being positioned midwaybetween the top face and the bottom face of the tubular portions andterminating at the ends of the arcuate portions and having forward,rearward and lateral square extensions 'at the ends of the arcuateportions andmidway of the arcuate portions, said peripheral flat stripsbeing integrally connected with the side edges of the semi-circulartubular portions and having a width at least more than half the width ofthe diameter of the tubular portions.

4. A double semi-circular arcuate tubular invalid bath tub cushionhaving separated side arcuate tubular members with their ends cut ofi inparallelism to each other and spaced from each other said cushion havingtop and bottom curved faces tangent to top and bottom horizontal planesand having outside and inside circular curved edges in verticalcylindrical concentric planes and having a rear edge and a forward edge,the inside edge being of circular cross section and the outside edgebeing formed by convergent walls of the arcuate tubular members and awide thick peripheral strip of double thickness having rectangularextensions at the rear and forward edge and also midway between the rearand forward edge and a small diameter tube connecting the rear edge endsofthe arcuate portions and a flat narrow 'arcuate strip connecting thefront edge ends of the arcuate portions.

5. The cushion of claim 4, said wide thick strip and said narrow stripbeing in a plane midway between the top and bottom horizontal planes.

6. The cushion of claim 4, said small diameter tube being positioned atthe inside circular curved edge and said fiat narrow strap beingpositioned beyond the outside circular edge.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS726,164 Hogan et al. Apr. 21, 1903 1,759,348 Fishman May 20, 1930FOREIGN PATENTS 364,287 Great Britain Jan. 7, 1932 536,080 Great BritainMay 1, 1941

